Hydrant appliance



May 10, 1938.

A. SCILLIA HYDRANT APPLIANCE Filed Aug. 5, 1937 1 VENTOR 4%??72 f/v52"- BY Patented May 10, 1938 i UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2,116,770 mum APPLIANCE Anthony sauna, Montclair, N. J. H Application August5, 1937, Serial No. 157,482

w ts. (c1. 137 13) My invention relates to an appliance for use in connectionwith fire hydrants of thetype used in municipal water systems. Such hydrants are provided with valves actuated by turning a stem-nut which is centrally disposed in the hydrant top or bonnet", the stemnutthreadedly engaging the valve stem.

Frequently the valve seat plate sticks or "freezes to its seat ring, andconsiderable force must be applied to ireeit. Whensuch force is applied at the stemnut, theresult is that the valve stem becomes distorted, as it bears the entire strain, andin many cases the valve stem has actually broken away from the other partsgu The danger of this condition in a fire hydrant is ob VlOllS.

straining or distorting the valve parts. The same appliance enables the valve seat, plate to be fully leakage. l, 1

These and other advantageous objects, which will later appear, areaccomplishedby the simple and practical construction, combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter described and shown in the accompanying drawing, forming part hereof, and in which: h Fig. 1 is a vertical sectional view of a hydrant withits top removed, showing the appliance or 35 my invention in position for actuating the hydrant valve,

Fig. 2 is a side elevational view of the appliance of my invention,

Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional view taken on 40 line 3-3 of Fig. 1 in the direction of the arrows, Fig. 4 isa transverse sectional view taken on line 4-4 of Fig. 1 in the direction oi the arrows, Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the lower portion of the appliance of my invention, and 45 Fig. 6 is a view corresponding to that shown in Fig. 3, but of a modified form of my invention. In Fig. 1 of the drawing, the appliance III of my invention is shown in engagement with the valve I2 of the hydrant ll.

'50 The hydrant ll comprises a barrel I3 having The object of tiny invention is to provide anap pliance ,which is adapted to immediately and threaded to the seat ring to obviate the danger of cured, by bolts I! or the like, to a similar flange 16 of the hydrant shoe II, the latter having an open end I! for connectionwith a water supply system. v i i i p The hydrantvalve II has an elongated stem 20, the upper, threaded endQZl of which is normally received within a threaded stem-nut 4| which is normally centrally arranged in and proiects above the hydrant cover; by rotating the stem-nut H the hydrant valve is normally low- 1 ered or raised to open or close the valve. The valvelZ is arranged on the lower end of the stem 20, said valve comprising a washer unit 22 clamped between clamping plates which have threaded engagement with each other and are held on the lower end of the valve stem 20 by nut and lock nut 26. The structure described in this paragraph is well-known in the art.

The valve I2 is further provided with a seat plate 21 against which the washer unit 22 is firm- 20 1y clamped when the valve is closed, said plate having studs 21' which support a yoke having vanes 28. The plate 21 is adapted to threadedly engage the ring 42 and normally closes the drains SI of said ring, .25

The plate 21 frequently fsticks or "freezes" t therl'ng 42, with the result that considerable force mustbe applied to free it. When this force is applied in the usual manner to the stem nut 4| in the hydrant cover, the stem becomes distorted and frequently the vanes 28 become broken as a" result. The appliance ll! 'of my invention is designed to quickly relieve the stuck or frozen" condition without endangering or straining any of the parts.

The valve washer unit 22 seats against the underside of plate 21; if plate 21 is not fully threaded to ring 42 a seepage of water occurs between plate 21 and ring 42. My invention is 40 designed to relieve this condition by enabling the plate 21 to be fully threaded to the ring 42 by the exertion of all the force required for this purpose without straining the valve stem or any of the other parts. 45

In using my invention the valve stem nut 4i and the bonnet" or cover of the hydrant are removed in the usual manner.

The appliance ID of my invention comprises an elongated hollow tube 3| adapted to he slipped over the valve stem 20, said tube having an enlarged head 32 at the lower end thereof said head having a squared portion 33 adapted to register with the squared portion 34 or the valve stem. The head 32 is provided with a downturned portion 36 provided with recesses I4 adapted to register with and receive the vanes 28 of the plate 21. The tube 3| is provided with means for aligning the same within the barrel ii and to enable the same to be easily rotated therein. Said means may comprise a ring 3'! secured to the tube by studs 38 or the like, as shown in Figs. 1 and 3, or, as in Fig. 6, the ring 31 may be dispensed with and the studs 38 slightly elongated to serve the same purpose.

The tube 3i is provided at its upper end with an open socket 42 provided withan internal ring 43.

The threaded upper end 2| of the valve stem is passed through the ring 43 of socket 42 and the stem nut 4| which was previously. removed from the hydrant is then threaded to the end 2| of the valve stem until said stem nut bears against the ring 43 and the valve has been firmly drawn up and seated. Then by merely turning the grip member 40 at the upper end of appliance ill the plate 21 may be fully threaded to the ring 42, in cases where there has been leakage between plate 21 and ring 42, or, where the plate 21 is frozen or stuck to the ring 42, the grip member 40 is turned in the other direction to disengage the plate 21 from the ring 42.

After the appliance ID has served its function, the stem nut 4| is disengaged from the stem 2|,

appliance I0 is removed from the hydrant and" the bonnet or cover member (with the stem nut) replaced; by turning the stem-nut the valve may be re-seated in the hydrant in the usual manner.

The foregoing description is to be regarded as descriptive and illustrative only and not as restrictive v of or limitative of the invention, of which obviously many modifications may be made embodying the invention and without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the annexed claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

1. An appliance of the character described comprising an elongated hollow tube provided at its lower end with. a head having a downturned portion provided with recesses adapted to register with and receive the vanes of a hydrant valve plate, and gripping means at the upper end of said tube for turning the same to engage the vanes and actuate the plate, said head having an internally squared portion adapted to register with an externally squared portion or the valve stem.

2. An appliance of the character described comprising an elongated hollow tube provided at its lower end with 'a head having means for. engaging vanes of a hydrant valve plate, said head having an internal non-circular portion adapted to register with an external non-circular portion of the valve stem.

3. An appliance of the character described comprising an elongated hollow tube provided at its lower end with a head having means for engaging vanes of a hydrant valve plate, said head having an internal non-circular portion adapted to register with an external non-circular portion of the valve stem, said tube being provided with peripheral means for engaging the inner walls of hydrant barrel, to align the same therein and enable the same to be easily rotatedtherein.

4. An appliance of the character described comprising an elongated hollow tube provided at its lower end with a head having means for engaging vanes of a hydrant valve plate, said head having an internal non-circular portion adapted to register with an external non-circular portion of the valve stem, a ring of slightly less diameter than the interior of a hydrant barrel secured to said tube for aligning the tube within the hydrant barrel and for enabling the same to be easily rotated therein. 7

5. An appliance of the character described comprising an elongated hollow tube provided at its lower end with a head having means for en'- gaging vanes of a hydrant valve plate, said head having an internal non-circular portion adapted to register with an external non-circular portion of the valve stem, and studs radially secured to said tube foraligning the tube within a hydrant barrel and for enabling the same to be easily rotated therein. i

6. An appliance of the character described comprising an elongated hollow tube provided at its lower end with a. head having means for engaging vanes of a hydrant valve plate, said head having'an internal non-circular portion adapted to register with an external non-circular portion of the valve stem, an open ring secured within the tube at the upper end thereof and an open socket above said ring adapted to receive a member for engagement with said stem and ring.

ANTHONY SCILLIA. 

